Sanjeev Abhyankar with Ashwini Bhide Deshpande
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The upcoming edition of Barkha not only falls on Independence Day, but also marks the 25th anniversary since Banyan Tree began this monsoon-themed concert. This year’s event will see performances by flautist S Shashank, and vocalists Sanjeev Abhyankar and Ashwini Bhide.India is perhaps the only land where we have specific melodies for different seasons. According to Nandini Mahesh, who co-founded Banyan Tree Events with her husband Mahesh Babu, the idea behind the festival was to present monsoon ragas, both instrumentally and vocally. Since they are not performed during the rest of the year, most people are unaware of them. “Initially, we began in Mumbai, eventually moving to Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune. This year, we are taking the concert to Tier-II cities such as Hubballi and Belgaum as well. Our wish is for people to experience rare ragas such as ‘Chaya Malhar’, ‘Meerabai Malhar’ and ‘Dhuliya Malhar’, apart from more well-known ones such as ‘Miyan ki Malhar’ and ‘Megh’.”“Instrumental recitals have their own charm, but when it is a vocal presentation, the lyrics add to their soulfulness. Beautiful descriptions of Nature, the change in flora, fauna, and the fields elevates the listener to a different plane. That is the beauty of this festival.”Nandini remembers renowned artistes who were part of the festival but have since passed, such as pakhawaj maestro Bhavani Shankar. “People used to tell us his renditions on the pakhawaj (a percussion instrument) reminded them of thunder clouds. I remember one concert where he spent close to 20 minutes on the pakhawaj, bringing to mind the gathering of a storm.”Nandini says seasonal ragas are more of a Hindustani concept than a Carnatic one. “For the past few editions we have been encouraging South Indian classical musicians to present compositions such as the Amrutvarshini that describe the rain. This edition of Barkha Ritu will also see jugalbandis between both classical forms that transcend musical boundaries.”
